Challenge Cup final latest: Cardiff Devils 2 Sheffield Steelers 2

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Challenge Cup FinalChallenge Cup Final
Challenge Cup Final

SHEFFIELD STEELERS are tied 2-2 after two periods against Cardiff Devils as they look to clinch their first-ever Challenge Cup Final title.

Five previous encounters between the two in South Wales had been decided by the odd goal previously this season, the South Yorkshire club coming out on top twice.

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It was an equally fierce battle on Sunday afternoon at ICe Arena Wales

A pulsating first period lived up to expectations as the two teams went toe-to-toe from the first drop.

Both Ervins Mustukovs in the Steelers goal and his Rotherham-born counterpart Ben Bowns - who looks likely to back-stop Cardiff to the regular season title - were both forced into action early on.

Mustukovs twice had to deflect away with his pads while at the other end Bowns had to be on his toes to deny Levi Nelson following good work by Andreas Valdix - back in the line-up after missing four games - and Mike Ratchuk.

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But it was the Devils who opened the scoring, the puck breaking to an unmarked Gleason Fournier who fired a rasping shot past the left side of Mustukovs and into the top corner.

Steelers rallied quickly and forced Bowns into action through Colton Fretter - also clear of injury - and Jace Coyle, but the Devils were doing a good job of keeping them to the outside.

A 30-second 5-on-3 powerplay came and went for the Steelers, as did the subsequent 90 seconds on just the one-man advantage.

They should have been level in the 15th minute when captain Jon Phillips was denied by a sprawling Bowns,but it wasn’t long before the game was all-square.

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Good work by Nelson behind the net saw the puck eventually break free to Robert Dowd, who side-stepped one man before firing home low to Bowns’s left.

Unlike previously, the Steelers made their next powerplay count when Cardiff were penalised for too many men on the ice.

Mathieu Roy found room for himself on the right-hand boards and fired in a rasping shot through a crowd of players and past a helpless Bowns.

Not surprisingly, the Devils came out with some urgency in the second, forcing Mustukovs into a number of saves from Matthew Myers, Andrew Hotham and Chris Jones.

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A cross-checking penalty call on Mike Ratchuk saw further pressure come down on the Steelers net, Mustukovs even taking one directly in the mask as Devilspushed hard to level.

Sean Betoivoglio was left free on the edge of the Steelers zone but couldn’t make it count before another Devils powerplay was repealed by a determined Steelers rearguard.

But the pressure eventually told when Mark Louis made a big enough nuisance off himself in front of net to deflect Hotham’s shot enough for the puck to squeeze through Mustukovs.